Lasting effects of postnatal hypoxia and saline injection on the striatal dopamine transport and their modification by gangliosides.

Hypobaric hypoxia (10 h daily, pO2 10 kPa) and saline administration (2.5 microliters/g body wt) from the 2nd till the 11th day of life both induced a long-lasting increase of the low-affinity dopamine (DA) uptake capacity in S1-fractions of the rat striatum. Additionally, the potassium-stimulated DA release was enhanced in adult control rats postnatally injected with saline. The administration of a mixture of bovine brain gangliosides (30 micrograms/g body wt) was found to prevent these effects. However, the kinetic constants of the DA uptake of hypoxic rats treated with gangliosides were reduced in comparison to untreated controls. Thus, the effects of gangliosides appear to differ between hypoxic and control conditions. The modification of the dopaminergic activity during brain development is discussed as a possible mechanism of the preventive effects of gangliosides against long-term cerebral dysfunctions following hypoxia or stress.